Edward A. Wilcox (September 8, 1830 – September 23, 1910) was an American physician and politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Coming to

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at a young age with his family, Wilcox attended both public and private schooling before matriculating at

Rush Medical College Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1837, it is affiliated with Rush University Medical Center, and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. ...

. He established a practice in Minonk, Illinois in 1858 which he operated until his death in 1910. Wilcox was also active in politics as a member of the county and state

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. He served two two-year terms in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

starting in 1872. He co-founded the North Central Illinois Medical Association in 1874.

Biography

Edward A. Wilcox was born in

Wattsburg, Pennsylvania Wattsburg is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 352 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Incorporated in 1833, Wattsburg was once a thriving stagecoach cente ...

on September 8, 1830. He was the eldest child born to Dr. Levi Wilcox, who practiced medicine and was later a U.S. Consul to Kankow,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Two of Wilcox's uncles were also physicians, and one of Wilcox' brothers would also pursue that profession. In 1837, Wilcox's family moved to

Lacon, Illinois Lacon is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,878 at the 2020 census, down from 1,937 in 2010. History Lacon was named after ...

. Wilcox attended public school there and later attended private schooling at Mount Morris Academy. Wilcox's father died young, so Wilcox studied medicine under one of his uncles, R. B. Rodgers, in Lacon. He later studied with Robert Boal, a former partner of his father. Wilcox matriculated at

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, graduating in 1857. He returned to Lacon to practice for a year, then moved to Minonk, Illinois. He practiced there until his death. Wilcox was thrice named mayor of Minonk and served two terms on its school board. He was postmaster for eight years and sixteen years on the Woodford County Republican central committee. For twelve years, he served on the Illinois Republican Central Committee, four on its executive committee. He was twice a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

. In 1872, Wilcox was elected to the

, where he served two consecutive two-year terms; he was the only physician in the Senate at the time and thus focused on charitable institutions. Rush presented Wilcox with an honorary degree in 1874. Wilcox married Caroline Mathis on June 23, 1857; they had eight children. She died in 1878 and Wilcox married a year later to Victoria Boyle. Wilcox and Boyle had another five children. Son Frederick W. practiced medicine in Minonk. Son Alfred R. (

Twin Falls, Idaho Twin Falls is the county seat of and the largest city in Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.

) and Brainard (Minonk) practiced dentistry. Wilcox served with the Illinois Medical Society and the Woodford County Medical Organization. He co-founded the North Central Illinois Medical Association with fourteen other physicians in 1874. Wilcox died in Minonk on September 23, 1910.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Edward A. 1830 births 1910 deaths Republican Party Illinois state senators Politicians from Erie County, Pennsylvania People from Minonk, Illinois Physicians from Illinois Rush Medical College alumni People from Lacon, Illinois 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly